I have run some polls to get a picture of what sort of kit we Talkbass folk actually use on stage, firstly in 2019, and then in 2025. There are links to the poll threads and the many comments there in at the end of this post.
The percentages represent the percentage of respondents who use each configuration. Because many of us have more than one rig the percentages add up to well over 100%.
The two cabinet polls were basically similar and can be summarised as follows (in ascending order of driver area). 2019 figures in brackets.
1*12 – 28% (22%)
2*10 – 24% (20%)
1*15 – 22% (20%)
2*12 – 31% (28%)
4*10 – 15% (22%)
IEM usage was 11% in 2025, and wasn't in the 2019 poll. 20% (13%) had tweeters and used them. Other combinations were very much out of favour.
The trend apparent here is that cabs with 12in drivers have become more favoured, and that the larger cabs are becoming less popular.
The two amp polls were quite different. In 2019 I didn't attempt to relate amp to cabinet, and the results were
Solid state - 81%
Hybrid - 40%
(most tube pre)
Tube - 24%
400-800W - 68%
200-400W - 29%
< 100W - 16%
100-200W - 16%
>800W - 16%
The 2025 poll sought to match amp power with cabinet size, but only for the most popular configurations in the cab poll.
The most widely used combinations were:
2x12 drivers, 800W plus Amp 17%
2x12 drivers, 401-799W Amp 14%
1x15 driver, 151-400W Amp 13%
1x12 driver, 151-400W Amp 13%
2x10 drivers, 151-400W Am 11%
1x12 driver, 401-799W Amp 10%
This can also be drawn as a chart.
The popularity of 2*12 cabinets with larger amps is quite striking in this poll. They've eclipsed 4x10s and 8x10s.
Treat all this with a fair bit of caution. I'm no expert in poll design, and I am certain this could be done better. There are also considerable limits in the software, which only permits 20 questions, and I didn't want to bombard the forum with endless polls. As I write this summary the cab poll was up to about 500 responses and the amp/cab poll 225, which is enough to be reasonably statistically valid as a reflection of bass players who are on Talkbass and respond to polls. How well that reflects the wider bass playing population out there is anyone's guess!
For reference here are links to the actual poll threads, and also the 2019 version of this summary, which contains a considerable amount of discussion.
2019 Summary thread
2019 Amp Power Poll
2019 Cab Size Poll
2025 Cab Size Poll
2025 Amp/Cab combination Poll
The percentages represent the percentage of respondents who use each configuration. Because many of us have more than one rig the percentages add up to well over 100%.
The two cabinet polls were basically similar and can be summarised as follows (in ascending order of driver area). 2019 figures in brackets.
1*12 – 28% (22%)
2*10 – 24% (20%)
1*15 – 22% (20%)
2*12 – 31% (28%)
4*10 – 15% (22%)
IEM usage was 11% in 2025, and wasn't in the 2019 poll. 20% (13%) had tweeters and used them. Other combinations were very much out of favour.
The trend apparent here is that cabs with 12in drivers have become more favoured, and that the larger cabs are becoming less popular.
The two amp polls were quite different. In 2019 I didn't attempt to relate amp to cabinet, and the results were
Solid state - 81%
Hybrid - 40%
(most tube pre)
Tube - 24%
400-800W - 68%
200-400W - 29%
< 100W - 16%
100-200W - 16%
>800W - 16%
The 2025 poll sought to match amp power with cabinet size, but only for the most popular configurations in the cab poll.
The most widely used combinations were:
2x12 drivers, 800W plus Amp 17%
2x12 drivers, 401-799W Amp 14%
1x15 driver, 151-400W Amp 13%
1x12 driver, 151-400W Amp 13%
2x10 drivers, 151-400W Am 11%
1x12 driver, 401-799W Amp 10%
This can also be drawn as a chart.
Treat all this with a fair bit of caution. I'm no expert in poll design, and I am certain this could be done better. There are also considerable limits in the software, which only permits 20 questions, and I didn't want to bombard the forum with endless polls. As I write this summary the cab poll was up to about 500 responses and the amp/cab poll 225, which is enough to be reasonably statistically valid as a reflection of bass players who are on Talkbass and respond to polls. How well that reflects the wider bass playing population out there is anyone's guess!
For reference here are links to the actual poll threads, and also the 2019 version of this summary, which contains a considerable amount of discussion.
2019 Summary thread
2019 Amp Power Poll
2019 Cab Size Poll
2025 Cab Size Poll
2025 Amp/Cab combination Poll
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